The Rift Valley

Much of Africa's volcanic activity is concentrated along the immense 6000 km long crack in the earth's surface known as the Great Rift Valley. Great Rift Valley is great because it is extensive and it was formed by the sinking and tearing apart of the earth. The largest valley on the earth, the Great Rift Valley is one of the planet's most outstanding features. The Great Rift Valley is not just a subject on the geographical maps. It has already entered into the history looks as it holds the key to our past and the existence of early man on the continent. It is in the Alluvial Gorge (Kenya). In Melka Kunture and Hadar (Afar region) that the bones of our earliest ancestors like "Lucy" were found. It is as if the land broke apart in a rift to display its riches. Ethiopia is often referred to as the “water tower" of eastern Africa because of the many rivers that pour of its high tableland. The Rift valley's passage through Ethiopia marked by chain of seven lakes fed by different rivers. Each of the seven lakes has its own attractions. The lakes shelter different species of birds and many wild animals. The rift valley is also a habitat for a variety of flora and fauna.